Sam Maguire is stitched up by knitters of Dunmanway

THE most famous prize in Gaelic games, the Sam Maguire Cup, is awarded to the winners of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.  

The man himself was born in 1879 into a Church of Ireland farming family from Dunmanway and the town has become synonymous with the Sam Maguire.  The cup itself is modelled on the Ardagh chalice.

 This year, to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the presentation of the Sam Maguire Cup to the GAA, the Knit and Natter Group in Dunmanway Library created a full-size replica of the famous cup.

 In March, Áine O’Brien, Eileen Hurley and Mandy Ferguson travelled to the GAA Museum in Croke Park to take measurements and photos of the Cup. The shape was put together using a flowerpot, funnel and pineapple can, covered in papier maché and spray-painted. After many attempts and lots of ripping, the cup took shape and a masterpiece was created.

 The ladies used a mixture of knitting, crochet and embroidery to create the detail on the cup. 

The cup is on display in the window of Dunmanway library for the months of July and August, along with all 32 handmade county colour flags.

Recently Taoiseach Leo Varadkar took time out of his schedule in West Cork to be photographed with the knitted wonder.

Cork County Council has recently funded a number of initiatives aimed at putting the Dunmanway on the tourism map, including a new brochure Discover Dunmanway, a new website visitdunmanway.ie and a new Tourism Information Point in the town centre.